Railway-tie and heating device therefor.



No. 802,196. PATENTED OOT.l7,1905., G. S. CHAPMAN. RAILWAY TIE AND HEATING DEVICE THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l/VVE/VTUI? [Zia/ea J. Chapman hum ATTO/P/V/ES No. 802,196. PATENTBD 0011?,1905.

0. S. OHAPMANr RAILWAY TIE 'AND HEATING DEVICE THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0 c/ Q 0 0 o c CHARLES S. CHAPMAN, OF RIDGEIVOOD, NEIV JERSEY.

RAlLWAY -TIIE AND HEATING DEVICE THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters "Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed July 1, 1906. Serial No. 267,930.

To all 111710111. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLns S. CHAPMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ridgewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Tie and Heating Device Therefor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to railway-ties; and it consists substantially in the features of improvement hereinafter more particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

The invention comprehends a railway-tie possessing in itself certain valuable characteristics, but has reference more especially to means for heating simultaneously any desired number or all the ties of a line or section of railway and incidentally or indirectly the rails supported thereon by which to effect the melting of snow and ice accumulating on the rails during the cold seasons.

One of the principal objects of the invention is, first, to provide a railway-tie of simple and comparatively inexpensive embodiment and one also possessing the capacity for long and continued service.

Secondly, the invention has for its further object to provide means for the purpose mentioned which are also of simple and, comparatively inexpensive embodiment besides being effective and reliable in use or operation and capable of being readily installed, as well as easily regulated or controlled, from a single source and by a single operator.

The above and additional objects are attained by means substantially such as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a line or section of railway constructed with supporting-ties for the rails embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of line or section of railway, parts being partly broken out to more clearly indicate the construction and organization of parts or elements constituting my improvements. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. i is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4: L of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a still further enlarged sectional view taken on the same line as Fig. 3, this view indicating more clearly the construction of the insulation-supports for the resistancecoils within the hollow ties.

Before proceeding with a more detailed description it may be stated that in the form of my improvements herein shown I employ, preferably, a connected series of speciallyconstructed railway-ties extei'lding throughout the entire line of rails to be heated, and for either one or any number or all of the ties of the series I employ a heating device of special embodiment either of amcchanical or electrical character, but preferably the latter, said device being adapted to receive its supply of electricity from any suitable source-as from a dynamo in a powerhouse, for instance-and being under the control of an operator stationed either at the powerhouse or in a switch-tower located at some point or station near or adjacent to the railway.

While I have herein represented my improvements in a certain preferred embodiment, it will be understood, of course, that I am not limited thereto in precise detail, since immaterial changes therein may be resorted to coming within the scope of my invention.

Reference being had to the drawings by the designating characters thereon, 1 designates in entirety a series of railway-ties embodying my improvements, each tie being preferably constructed of angle or channel iron or other metal and the ties of the entire series being intersected longitudinally of the direction followed by the railway for the continuous support of the rails seated thereon. As shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 3, 4:, and 5, the sides 2 2 of each tie are constructed of sections of angle or channel iron spaced at suitable distance apart, each section being flanged at the bottom, as indicated at 3, for securing the same to the base or bottom plate 4 of the tie by means of a bolt 5 or any other suitable (See Fig. 4;.) Each tie is also provided with a top member or plate 6, secu red adjacent to its longer edges to the upper flanges 7 of the hereinbefore-mentioned side sections 2 of the tie by means of bolts 8 or in any other suitable way. In this way it will be seen that the tie is constructed hollow throughout, and in order to provide a continuous support for the bases of the rails of the railway upon the ties of the series of the latter employed I preferably construct each of the hollow ties, at a suitable distance from each end thereof, with transverse forwardly or form practically a series of hollow chambers extending throughout the entire extent of the line or section of railway, said chambers being in communication the one with the other in the manner just described. The said forwardly and rearwardly extending branches of the ties are also each constructed of parallel short sections 11 of angle or channel iron or other metal spaced apart and having flanges 12 at the bottom to be secured to the base or bottom plate for the tie, together with flanges 13, to which are secured, by means of some of the bolts 8, the corresponding forwardly and rearwardly extensions 14 and 15 of the hereinbefore-mentioned top member or plate 6 for the tie. (See Figs. 2 and 1.) The chairs or clamps 16 for the bases of the rails 17 are secured to the said forwardly and rearwardly extending branches 1 1 and 15 of the top members or plates of adjacent ties by means of bolts 18, which also serve additionally to secure the said forwardly and rearwardly extending branches in place upon the supporting-flanges therefor carried by the pairs of the forwardly and rearwardly short sections 9and 10 of said ties. As thus indicated, it will be seen that I provide continuous firm and flat bearing-surfaces for the rails extending for the full distance of the latter, the embodiment being such as to possessdecided advantages over many other structures hitherto employed for the same purpose.

In order to provide means for heating the rails at any time by which to cause the melting of snow or ice accumulating thereon, I

provide any desired number or all of the ties.

of the series with any suitable form of heating device, either mechanical or electrical in character, but which, as herein shown, preferably comprises a plurality of electric resistance-coils 19 in electrical connection with each other at 20 and preferably extending throughout the interior of the ties in which located, said coils being in electrical connection at 21 and 22 with parallel line-wires 23 and 24:, deriving a supply of electricity from any suitable sourceas, for instance, a dynamo (not shown) located in a power-house (not shown) for operating the cars passing over the rails. The said line-wires 23 and 24 serve to feed the electric currents to the said electric resistances 19, thus heating the latter, and consequently the material of the ties becomes heated and in turn transmits the heat thereof to the rails 17, and consequently should there be any accumulations of snow or ice upon or in the vicinity of the rails it is apparent that the same will be melted, thus obviating interruptions totravel of the cars upon the rails and also considerably lessening the liability to accidents. The current of electricity may be under the control of any ordinary electric switch 25, located within the tower-house 26, for instance, and operated in the usual way by the switchman, either to out off or turn the current onto the resistancecoils accordingly as may be desired in practice. As shown in Fig. 2, I have shown each tie of the entire series of ties as provided with electric heating-coils; but it is apparent that for ordinary purposes it may be only necessary to provide certain of the ties therewith located at suitable intervals of each other thus to derive the full effect or results desired, as well asto economize in the means employed for obtaining such results. The electrical connections 21 and 22 between the line-wires 23 and 24 and the said electric heating-coils 19 pass through suitable openings therefor in the closures 27 for the ties at one end, and if the said closures are constructed of metal it is of course understood that the openings through which said connections extend are properly insulated. These closures, however, may sometimes be constructed of wood, which in itself serves as a sufficient insulated support for the wire connections. Each of the electric resistance-coils 19 is insulated from the top member or plate 6 of the tie within which the same is contained by means of a block 28 of wood, rubber, or other suitable insulating material, secured to the top member or plate 6 by means of a bolt 29, (see Fig. 5,) said block serving as a support for the coil, and all the coils of each set being electrlcally connected, as hereinbefore set forth.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide the heating device longitudinally of the rails rather than transversely thereof, in which event the same are located within the sets or pairs of the connected forwardly and rearwardly extending branches of the ties, as indicated at 30 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 is rather a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of my improvements and wherein suit-able branch rails 31 are employed similarly supported by means of my improved ties, as hereinbefore explained with reference to the main rails 17 of the railway and wherein is also shown an ordinary switch connection and operating device 32, which latter, of course, forms no essential feature of my invention. In Fig. 2 the railway is shown as provided with a set of ordinary switch-rails 33, employed upon the ties and connected in the ordinary way at 34: by means of a rod, which may be actuated in any suitable way to operate the said switch-rails.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A hollowrailway-tie, provided interiorly thereof with means for heating the same, to impart heat to the rails supported thereby.

2. A metallic railway-tie, provided with means for heating the same, for imparting heat to the rails supported thereby.

3. A hollow metallic railway-tie, provided interiorly thereof with means for heating the same, to impart heat to the rails supported thereby.

4. A series of railwayties, having means for simultaneously heating any number or all of them to impart heat to the rails supported thereby.

5. A metallic railway-tie, having electrical means for heating the same, to impart heat to the rails supported thereby.

6. A hollow metallic railwaytie having electrical means therein for heating the same, to impart heat to the rails supported thereby, said means having connection with a source of electricity.

7. A hollow railway-tie, having electrical resistance-coils therein, connected to a source of electricity for heating the same, to impart heat to the rails supported thereby.

8. A series of railway-ties, having electrical means for heating any one or all of them simultaneously, for imparting heat to the rails supported thereby, said means having connection with a source of electricity.

9; A series of hollow railway-ties, having electrical resistance-coils therein for heating any one or all of them simultaneously, for imparting heat to the rails supported thereby, said coils having connection with a source of electricity.

10. A hollow railway-tie, having electrical resistance-coils therein, connected to a source of electricity for heating the same, to impart heat to-the rails supported thereby, and a controlling-switch for said coils.

11. A series of railway-ties, having electrical means for heating any one or all of them simultaneously, for imparting heat to the rails supported thereby, said means having connection with a source of electricity, and a controlling-switch for the means.

12. A series of hollow railway-ties, having electrical resistance-coils therein for heating any one or all of them simultaneously, for imparting heat to the rails supported thereby, said coils having connection with a source of electricity, and a controlling-switch for said coils.

13. A hollow metallic railway-tie having electrical means therein for heating the same, to impart heat to the rails supported thereby, said means having connection with a source of electricity, comprising line-wires.

14. A series of railway-ties, having electrical means for heating any one or all of them simultaneously, for imparting heat to the rails supported thereby, said means having connection with a source of electricity, comprising line-wires.

15. A hollow railway-tie having forwardly and rearwardly extending branches for connection therewith of the corresponding branches of another tie.

16. A hollow railway-tie having forwardly and rearwardly extending branches for connection therewith of the corresponding branches of another tie, the sides of the tie being constructed of channel metal connected by a basc-plate and provided with a top plate, each of said plates being secured to said sides to form awater-tight structure.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specilicz'ition in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. S. CHAPMAN.

\Vitnesses:

JNo. M. Ri'r'rnn, F. NV. :HANAI!ORD. 

